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1 Kings 20:29-31
New English Translation
1 Kings 20:29-31
New English Translation
29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them.[a] Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.[b] 31 His advisers[c] said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind.[d] Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads[e] and surrender[f] to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”
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- 1 Kings 20:30 tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on 27,000 men, the ones who remained.”
- 1 Kings 20:30 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
- 1 Kings 20:31 tn Or “servants.”
- 1 Kings 20:31 tn Heb “that the kings of the house of Israel, that kings of kindness [are] they.” Or “merciful” rather than “kind.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.
- 1 Kings 20:31 sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.
- 1 Kings 20:31 tn Heb “go out.”
New English Translation (NET)
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